Built in 1922 for $2 million, this palatial vaudeville theater opened on November 6, 1922 with a seating capacity of 2,530. It later made the switch to movies.

In the 1950’s, the Palace Theater became the home for Cineramaa renovation that required the removal of 1,800 seats. Despite the initial success, the Palace Theater, and its neighbors, fell on hard times and the theater closed in 1969. The marquee was subsequently torn down and the theater was boarded up.

In 1970, the Playhouse Square Association was formed to save the Palace Theater and other nearby theaters, such as the Ohio and the Allen. The Palace Theater reopened in 1973 as a performing arts venue and is still part of the Playhouse Square group.

The Palace was the one equipped for Cinerama, so I guess I’ve found where I saw “2001” in its roadshow engagement two or three times in the summer of 1968. I wish I could remember more from back then about the theater itself.

I do too, Tim; I was looking forward to filling in some gaps in my Cleveland Cinerama memories.

Note to ChasSmith: Actually, the reserved seat Cinerama run of “2001” was at Loew’s State. After Cinerama ended at the Palace, Cinerama productions (only 70mm versions) were shown at the Great Northern in North Olmsted, which was opened by Stanley-Warner as a purpose-built Cinerama house (SW has earlier considered retrofitting the Vogue in Shaker Heights for Cinerama; plans were drawn but not used). When Cinerama films were discontinued at the Great Northern, Cinerama returned downtown to Loew’s State. The 70mm re-release of “This is Cinerama” was shown at Loews Cedar-Center.

1945 RKO Palace Theater had all the big bands playing as they came up from the basement to the stage. Kay Ballard was the head usherette and she use to practice singing in the shower in the usherette changing room on the 4th floor and I was an usherette when I was 16. I heard them all. Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James, Glen Millen…and all the others. We had uniforms professionally made just for us. Every Thursday, each band leader met 3 usherettes with the manager next door at a soda fountain and they autographed 8 x 10 glossies for us by name. Of course, I was too young to realize the importance. They got ruined in the attic. I had over 20 of them.

There was a new band every week and played twice each day after a movie.

Loews didn’t do 70mm at the Cedar Center, they butchered the place soon after taking it over in the late 70s by dividing it in half and installing those hated game machines and tile floors in the once-beautiful lobby. As with Loews East and Loews West, both equipped with 70mm and mag stereo equipment, Herb Brown, the Loews DM at the time, wasn’t interested in 70mm and had the RCA technicians set up for only 35mm mono operation after the auditoriums were split. The original operator, National General Corp., did a lot of 70mm at what was then called the Fox Cedar Center.